TOODLE, NOODLE AND MRS. BUSHYTAIL
The next day after Noodle Flat-tail, the little beaver boy, forgot his reader book, and had to go home after it (when he saved Uncle Wiggily from the fox, you know) there were so many of the animal boys and girls who forgot their books, or their pencils, or something or other that Professor Rat, in the hollow stump school, said with a laugh:
"Oh, ho! I see how it is! You all think I will send you home, as I did Noodle, so you may have adventures. Not so! I will go get your books and things myself. Miss Lady Bug, the teacher, will go with me. You can't fool the old professor that way. Oh, no, indeed!"
So what did Mr. Rat do, but put on his tall hat, and take his silver-headed cane, and call to Miss Lady Bug, the teacher:
"Come! you and I will go around to the different houses of these forgetful animal children, and get their books for them. As for them, they may stay in school and try to study so they will remember better next time."
Then combing some cracker dust out of his whiskers with a bathroom sponge, Professor Rat started off, and the lady bug teacher went with him.
He had to go to the homes of Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrels, who had forgotten their arithmetics, and to the burrow where Sammie Littletail, the rabbit, lived; for Sammie, hoping he would himself be sent back for them, had left his pencils home. And Joie and Tommie Kat had forgotten their multiplication tables, thinking they would be sent home after them, as Noodle Flat-tail was sent to get his reading book.
"I'll teach those forgetful boys and girls a lesson," said Professor Rat to Miss Lady Bug as he walked along combing the ice cream cones out of his whiskers with the lawn mower.
"But, Professor Rat," said Miss Lady Bug, politely fluttering her wings, "while you and I are out of school there can be no lessons. It is almost the same as if you let the children go home for their things themselves."
"Dear me! Dear me!" exclaimed Professor Rat, snapping his paws. "I never thought of that. So it is, isn't it? They won't study while we're away, and they can't recite. Dear, dear me! How careless," and he was so excited that he combed his whiskers out of the strawberry shortcake with the looking glass.